Currently, it is not an issue of if your business needs digital marketing for the promotion of its goods and services, rather it is a question of what marketing strategies can best be adopted. Millions of people each day visit different digital platforms to communicate with friends, do business, get information or to just relax. Since marketing is about reaching customers and potential customers in the right place, it is then apt for anyone to adopt this form of marketing to promote their business.
There are so many advantages of internet marketing over the traditional form, some of these advantages include the ease of use, cost savings, flexibility, easy to measure, global reach etc. Due to the ease of setting up an online marketing campaign as compared to a traditional campaign, many people are quick to set up accounts on digital platforms for the promotion of their business, particularly on social media. While this is good, there are still a couple of things that should be kept in mind if you wish to have a successful campaign.
Below are 10 Rules Guiding Digital Marketing;
1. Stay Focused:
If you are not a big company with very deep pocket and can’t afford to pay marketing agencies to handle your online marketing, then it is advisable to focus on online marketing strategies where you know you’ll shine. Investing in multiple online marketing will stretch you thin and cost you more than you bargain for. In the end, you will have digital channels that are redundant and just gathering dust.
As a small business, you can choose two to three forms of internet marketing options, for example, social media marketing, content and Google Adwords. A medium-sized company can try all of the aforementioned options and still adopt a more comprehensive SEO technique.
The idea is to focus your energy on a few digital marketing services, giving your customers what they want, when they want it.
2. Choose the Right Channel:
This point goes in tandem with the first, the type of online marketing platform you choose depends
on your target audience and the type of goods or services that you are promoting. Take, for instance, your company produces cosmetic products or weight loss products. This niche is a highly visual one, so focus your efforts on visual platforms, such as Pinterest and Instagram
3. Use Original and Relevant Content:
Content is king. Content marketing is essential for every form of business, be it big or small. To have a successful internet marketing campaign you must get in the habit of posting original and relevant content. Don’t get lost in always trying to sell your goods or promote your service, learn to give something back to the audience. Your content should be unique and valuable so that it can be ranked higher on Google search. Your content must be relevant. It must answer a question, solve a problem, or improve something.
4. Know Your Competitors:
Regardless of what your company is offering, there are other businesses that are offering exactly the same thing or at least something similar. To have successful a online marketing campaign, it is important that you know your competitors. Do your research and know what your competitors are offering, what makes their products better or worse than yours. This knowledge will help you rebrand and repackage your offering. You can use your competitor’s strength or weakness to your advantage.
5. Know Your Audience:
Different audiences on different online platforms respond differently to information. To have a successful campaign, you must know what makes your audience tick. It’s important that engage with and converse on your channels. For example, let’s say your mobile app development company has a channel that shares mobile hacks and how-to tutorials. If you notice greater engagement on the tutorials, then it makes to focus on them more than the hack tips.
6. Don’t Spam:
Some companies buy followers in order to build them. This practice is damaging to your brand and credibility because sending emails or sharing information with these people is considered spamming. Although numbers are important in online marketing, it is better to have 100 active and responsive followers than to have 1000 dormant ones. Send your promotional messages and every other form of business to consenting customers who are enthusiastic about receiving them.
7. Don’t Ignore the Experts:
Although it is comparatively easier to employ digital marketing to promote goods and services than it is with traditional marketing, it is still important to employ the services of experts or at least learn from them. It is a misconception to conclude that online marketing is overly simple and all it takes is opening an account and uploading contents. There are people who eat, sleep and breathe internet marketing. They know all the tricks and tweaks that can lead to a successful campaign. You can learn a thing or two from them.
8. Interaction is Important:
Interaction is important. Never, ever, ignore your followers. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, learn to interact with yo
ur customers and potential customers. Use less automatization. It makes people feel important when you make time to talk with them, answering their questions and putting their fears to rest.
9. Feed Your Audience Regularly:
In order to stay relevant, you have to regularly feed your audience with the latest updates. Hold their attention. Whatever you are offering, there are probably one or two or even more companies offering the exact same thing or something similar. You can’t afford to let the attention of your audience slip from you to your competitor. Feed them regularly with information that would hold them down.
10. Use Mobile Friendly Content:
The majority of internet users use their smartphones to surf the web more often than they do with their laptops or desktops. Therefore, it is important that your digital marketing campaigns be mobile friendly.
The bottom line is, you can effectively promote your business with digital marketing, but if it is handled carelessly, it won’t have the desired effect. It is also noteworthy that online marketing doesn’t always yield instant results.. You will need a lot of patience and devotion to achieve good results.
